Avalanche accident in the Himalayas: at least 19 mountaineers dead

At least 19 climbers died in an avalanche accident in the Himalayas. Ten others were still missing, an Indian civil protection employee from the German news agency said Friday. Rescue operations on Draupadi Ka Danda II were still ongoing and were hampered by bad weather.

The avalanche hit the climbing team at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters on Tuesday as they were descending. Team leader Nayab Subedar Anil Kumar told local NDTV that most of his team’s 42 climbers took refuge in a crevasse during the avalanche.

The weather in the Himalayas is generally worse in autumn and winter and the risk of avalanches is higher than in spring. As a rule, more climbers climb mountains in the spring.